Note from the author:
I would like to extend an apology to all those following this series. I made a huge mistake at the end of Chapter 18. The authors note was somehow submitted without the opening paragraph and doesn't even say it's an author's note. Not only that but where it starts honestly sounds kind of rude. I have put up an edited version but by the time it is up most of you will have read it. So I am submitting this chapter early. I have once again left the note at the end of this chapter however it is the complete version. I just wanted to take the time to apologize if the partial note came across the wrong way last chapter. As always thank you for your continued support. Lovecraft68
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It was Saturday night and I was sitting at the bar at Mitch's feeling pretty damn good. I was dressed to kill, had a drink in my hand, money in my pocket and the beginning of a really good buzz. All of this was only a small part of why I was feeling so good; it had been one hell of a week and all in all March had been a damn good month. Granted it hadn't started off that way as needless to say after the fight with Jack I had lost my job at Vinnie's.
I have to say I wasn't surprised but was still upset. It was the only job I had ever had; I had been there almost five years, never mind that between my pretty face, big smile and of course long legs I did quite well there in tips. Vinnie had been smart he did nothing right away but about two weeks after the fight called me into his office and said they were cutting back and I had to go.
Even though I had expected it I still fought it telling him that I had seniority over most of the other waitresses. Vinnie tried another line and I told him to just admit it; that I was being let go because of his piece of shit nephew. I had said it just like that and have to say I was a bit taken aback by my tone. I generally had the reputation of being a very sweet girl and it wasn't an act. I mean I had my share of issues but never let them affect my attitude towards other people, but lately I had been getting pretty fed up with other people's bullshit.
Vinnie sighed and told me I was right; it was over Jack, he would be coming back to work next week and he couldn't chance any more trouble. I nodded and said I understood; the former ex-con asshole that gave drinks to underage girls and punched her eighteen year old brother in the face could stay but his best waitress had to go. Vinnie reminded me that I was happy to take the drinks and my animal of a brother was no regular 18 year old. He then added that he was sorry and if I needed a reference he would help.
Shaking my head I told him thanks for nothing, to go fuck himself and that it was too bad Mark hadn't broken Jack's neck instead of his jaw. I then added that I hoped the board of health showed up and shut him down and that I would tell all my regulars that they should stay away from the place and go eat somewhere else, somewhere they didn't employ convicts.
I had said all this quickly and with more animosity than I had thought I was capable of. I also have to say it felt damn good. I heard Mark in my head talking about how Levay's children were true to themselves and spoke their mind; well that's what I had done, of course I'm sure that the pint of Southern Comfort that I had shared with Betty before I met with Vinnie had done some of that talking as well.
Within a week of Vinnie telling people I had been let go one of my regulars, who was an assistant manager at Sears, asked me if I wanted to work for him running the cosmetics counter. I hardly wore any make up and didn't know anything about it, but needed a job as I had already heard a rash of shit from dad about how losing my job was yet another sign of my downhill trend. I had started three weeks ago and had to say I didn't have much hope for it but to my surprise I was damn good at it.
My first week I worked with the girl who was leaving, she tried to teach me the ins and outs of how to make people up, which colors for which skin types and how you determined that. I sat there lost but as I watched her realized that putting on makeup was just like painting. Keeping that in mind I started envisioning each woman's face as an unfinished painting and what colors would I use to make them look good. The girl who was training me rolled her eyes at that theory but when I started doing it the results were amazing.
Every woman I worked with raved about how good my choices were and how no one else had suggested those tones or colors. I even started experimenting with the blushes, taking two or three shades and blending them together to make a completely new shade. The beauty of this was the new color obviously wasn't available on its own, so if the client liked it they would have to pay for all three and I would show them how to mix it. Seeing the job involved commision I was already making more money than I had at Vinnie's. Not only that but the hours were better with no late nights and I got to dress nice every day.
Even better than that however was the showing at Risd last Saturday. Not only had my "Broken" portrait gotten rave reviews and an A, that would be a third of the semesters grade, but Mark's rich friend Alex showed up bringing with him the friend he had told me about. After looking through my portfolio Warner's friend, who ran a small gallery in New York asked me if I would be willing to sell one of my paintings for $500. The one that he wanted; featured a wealthy man in a suit surrounded by treasure on his knees in tears begging the huge demonic figure who was standing in front of him holding a contract in one hand and set of chains in the other. Behind him was an open portal leading to a flame covered landscape, I had titled it; "When payment comes due."
Doing my best not to sound like the excited little girl I felt like I accepted his offer and he wrote me a check on the spot, telling me to drop it off at Alex's office and he would get it from him next weekend. I had thanked Warner, who I normally despised, with a heartfelt hug and kiss on the cheek as this could be my big break! Of course dog that he was Warner ruined the mood by asking me if I wanted to meet him after the showing and thank him properly. I rolled my eyes and told him I preferred men who earned it not boys who paid for it. How I wished Mark wouldn't hang around with that jerk.
As I finished my drink I put the glass down and looking in the mirror across from me admired where half of that $500 had gone. I was wearing a sleeveless low cut red blouse and from the tip of my shoulder all the way down to my elbow was an enormous tattoo of the Greek gorgon Medusa. The tattoo had been done in black and emerald green and the coils of her serpentine body wrapped around the inside of my arm as well. I smiled at my reflection; Medusa had taken almost five hours but had been worth every minute and every penny. It goes without saying that my parents were not happy. Mom simply gave me a disgusted head shake and said that I was such a sweet looking girl why would I do this to myself?
Dad as usual had been harsher, telling me I looked like a hells angel groupie, and exactly what kind of attention was I looking for anyways? Did I want to look like a bad girl? I avoided the temptation of saying the word was nasty and just rolled my eyes. Eventually my brother also got dragged into the conversation and blamed for the tattoo just as he had been blamed for the first one.
Speaking of my beautiful little brother I glanced down the other end of the bar where Mark was talking to Mitch and a couple of his biker buddies and stared at his right arm where the other half of my money had gone. Like mine Mark's tattoo covered his arm from shoulder to elbow and was an evil version of the great god Pan. This wasn't the silly looking Greek Pan, this was the original Celtic version complete with horns, hooves, red glaring eyes and a long horn that called to all the lost souls. Between the size, the colors and of course Mark's extremely well muscled arm the tattoo was the sexiest thing I had ever seen.
"Another one hon?"
I looked up to see Cynthia the other bartender standing in front of me. Cynthia knew I wasn't twenty one yet but served me anyways. Let's face it if they had money Mitch would serve high school kids. I smiled and nodded hoping she wouldn't mention it to Mark. My brother usually limited me so maybe this one wouldn't count. As she moved away I looked at Cynthia and shook my head wondering why the hell Mark wasn't fucking her. Cynthia was a little on the short side but built like a brick shit house, with big tits, a narrow waist and gorgeous long auburn hair.
Mitch wasn't a fool; the crowd in the bar was an equal mix of men and women ranging from the older bikers Mitch hung with to the college students from PC, URI and RIC. Mark and Cynthia were eye candy for both types of crowds and both played the part, flirting their asses off. Once in awhile, after a couple of shots, Cynthia would even hop up on the bar in her short skirt and give the bikers a bit of a show dancing to the juke box. She had done it last week and ended up with at least $50 thrown at her.
I turned my attention back to Cynthia, watching as she squeezed past my brother to get the bottle of southern comfort, deliberately rubbing her tits across his back. Mark said something to her and I laughed as Cynthia faced him and putting her arms up around his neck shimmied her way up and down his body. That got the bikers going especially when she brushed her face along his crotch on the way up. What the hell was wrong with my brother? This girl was all but holding up a sign that said "free lunch".
Cynthia put the drink in front of me and said that she had told Mark it was for the guy sitting behind me. I thanked her told her to keep trying; Mark would give in eventually. She laughed and went back down the other end. I took a sip of the drink and sighing happily watched my brother. Mark didn't work the bar, he owned it. For someone who was normally so soft spoken my brother was in rare form when he worked; joking with the bikers making fun of the frat boys and flirting with all the women young and old.
Because of the mixed crowd type Mitch's did have more than its share of trouble and Mark was surprisingly good at handling it. Mark would put himself in the middle and more often than not talking calmly would be able to get the potential brawlers to settle down, usually by getting them a drink on the house and asking them if they really needed the trouble. Of course that wasn't always the case and Mark had quickly gained a reputation as someone you didn't fuck with. Between his speed, strength, and mile wide mean streak Mark had sent several troublemakers to the ER and, like the fight with Jack, always got them to swing first.
Mark himself of course was the other reason it had been such a great month. After being more cautious for a little while after the hotel we had pretty much said the hell with it and were together just about every night at this point and it was incredible. The sex was always hot and then that wonderful moment when we would curl up and fall asleep in each other's arms. At this point we even slept naked, our doors were always locked and we would be able to get to the bathroom if we had to. Bottom line to me was if it feels good do it and Mark was feeling better than ever these days.
Thinking of Mark turned my thoughts serious for a moment. Neither of us had brought up that Saturday morning where we had both felt something more between us. I had wanted to talk about it but felt weird, I mean what were we going to talk about becoming a couple? I was also a little afraid I had misread him and would look like an idiot. Maybe Mark felt the same regardless, we hadn't discussed it but in the meantime had been greatly enjoying each other's company.
I think I was also waiting to see what my brother was going to do as far as other women. For myself I was completely content to be with my brother. After Jack my hopes to have something with a guy were fading fast. Granted Jack was a bigger asshole than most but bottom line it was the same old issues so why bother. I mean the new job provided a ton of chances, I was hit on pretty much every shift and had gotten asked out several times.
It sucked because I loved to flirt and really enjoyed being taken out, dinner dancing but sooner or later sex would come up and I wanted that to be great as well but let's face it when had it been? So for me right now Mark really was the perfect solution; smoking hot sex and then sweet to me afterwards.
